A.J. Croce to Perform “Croce Plays Croce 50th Anniversary Tour” at Paramount Theater

A.J. Croce will be performing at Paramount Theater on October 12 on his special “Croce Plays Croce 50^th Anniversary Tour” in honor of the memory of his late, legendary father, hitmaker singer-songwriter, Jim Croce (“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”, “Time In A Bottle”, “Operator”, “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim”, and many more).

The performance will celebrate Jim Croce’s legendary work, coinciding with the BMG release of the 3 CD or 3 LP compilation project, “THE DEFINITIVE CROCE,” which includes Jim’s iconic albums “LIFE AND TIMES,” “I GOT A NAME” and “YOU DON’T MESS AROUND.”

On the “Croce Plays Croce 50^th Anniversary Tour,” the gifted multi-instrumentalist will be backed by legendary band members Gary Mallaber (Van Morrison/Steve Miller Band), bassist/singer David Barard (Dr. John), and guitarist/violinist James Pennebaker (Delbert McClinton); and will be accompanied by background singers Jackie Wilson and Katrice Donaldson.

The show will include a moving, multi-media experience in which A.J. will perform his own songs, in addition to tracks from Jim’s mega-successful albums included in THE DEFINITIVE CROCE, which is being released this year for what would have been Jim’s 80^th birthday before his untimely passing.  Says A.J.,

“We’ll be playing songs representative from all three albums, and also some songs the audience might not know from more obscure artists that I realized connected me and my father. It was those songs that eventually led me to do this show in the first place.”

He adds, “People often come in thinking the show will be a quiet, nostalgic, precious display of my father’s songs – but it’s not precious at all. We give them an energetic, live show. The audience expects one thing, but by the time they leave, they realize they’ve experienced something completely different — and they leave not only with a new perspective on Jim, but as fans of mine as well. That’s something that has also made this whole experience really amazing.”

Over the past three decades, A.J. Croce has established his reputation as a piano player and vocal stylist who pulls from a host of musical traditions and anti-heroes — part New Orleans, part juke joint, part soul.

From his 10 studio albums, it’s clear that he holds an abiding love for all types of musical genres: blues, soul, pop, jazz, and rock n’ roll. A virtuosic piano player, A.J toured with B.B. King and Ray Charles before reaching the age of 21, and over his career, he has performed with a wide range of legendary musicians, from Willie Nelson to the Neville Brothers, to Béla Fleck and Ry Cooder.

A.J. has also co-written songs with such formidable tunesmiths as Leon Russell, Dan Penn, Robert Earl Keen, and multi-Grammy winner Gary Nicholson. His albums have all charted on an impressive array of charts: Top 40, blues, Americana, jazz, college and Radio 1.

The Nashville-based singer/songwriter has landed 22 singles on a variety of Top 20 charts. His songwriting and style has evolved from jazz & blues on his debut and sophomore albums, to the roots-rock of the more recent collaborative recordings like “Cantos” with Ben Harper, “Twelve Tales” with Allen Toussaint, and “Just Like Medicine” with Vince Gill.

Tickets for the “Croce Plays Croce 50^th Anniversary Tour” are available now and can be purchased at www.ajcrocemusic.com.